In a message, he mourned the dead and extended condolences to their families.

A Russian military Tu-154 crashed into the Black Sea on Dec 25, killing all 92 people aboard.

Among the passengers were 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, a renowned choir of the Russian Armed Forces, as well as nine Russian journalists. They were heading to the Hmeimim air base in the Syrian port city of Latakia for New Year celebrations.

The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from the Black Sea resort of Sochi at 5:40 am Moscow time (0240 GMT).